Conquering Columbus Podcast

Ryan McManus is the CEO and Co-founder of SHARE Mobility, a mobility company focused on providing other companies with the ability to provide transportation to their staff as a benefit. When we first spoke with Ryan back in 2019, he and his team had been at it for a few years, but things have really …

The Matriots is a political action committee dedicated to supporting, endorsing, and encouraging women candidates for office in Ohio. Their goal is help women get elected to office in Ohio with the hope that by getting more women into office, Ohio becomes a more equitable place to live. Their bold vision is for 50% of …

Amy Shore is the EVP and Chief Customer Officer at Nationwide! Amy has over 30 years of experience in the P&C industry, including over 20 years in varying leadership positions at Nationwide. She has leadership experience in a variety of business functions including sales, underwriting, product/pricing, customer service, and general management. Additionally, she has served …

Joanna Pinkerton is the President and CEO of COTA (Central Ohio Transit Authority). When many of us think of COTA, we leap to the city’s bus system first, but COTA is responsible for far more than that. Since Joining the COTA team in 2018, Joanna has focused on driving innovation and revamping options for mobility …

Brian Ross is the President and CEO of Experience Columbus. Experience Columbus is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to creating and showcasing the best of the Columbus experience to the world. They accomplish this mission by encouraging tourism as well as driving career opportunities in Columbus to encourage the world to visit our great city.  

Jay Amstutz is the President of Ohio Power Tool. Ohio Power Tool has been in business since 1983, and Jay joined the team as Vice President in 2008. Since becoming President in 2015, Jay has focused on expanding their influence in the Ohio region while simultaneously working to build their online presence and sales.

Andy Miller is the Founder of Waveform Music Group, which focuses on songwriting and production serving a variety of different companies across all kinds of production needs. Andy has a deep background in music production, post mixing, and sound design. He earned a BFA in Electronic Media (Audio, Film, and Television – Honors) from The …

Wayne is the President and Founder of 614 Media Group, a central-Ohio-focused media company behind magazines like (614) Magazine, Stock and Barrel, as well as Columbus Restaurant Week, Burger and Beer Week, and more. They are also partnered with Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, working together on 614 Lager, which has become their best-selling beer in just …

Val Jorgensen is the Founder and Owner of Jorgensen Farms. Following some of the most progressive and ecological farming practices, Jorgensen Farms is also one of Central Ohio’s most desirable wedding and event locales, caterers, and floral designers. They’ve been recognized with the Environmental Stewardship Award from the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association and the American …

Suraj Hinduja is the Managing Director of RTRX, a networking event firm founded by Jim Merkel, Founder of Rockbridge Capital, which aligns itself with Pelotonia in an effort to eventually see an end to cancer. The RTRX experience, held in collaboration with Pelotonia’s Ride Weekend, is uniquely curated with business, philanthropy, fun, and thought-provoking and …

Corey Poches is the Founder and CEO of Motive CBD, as well as a Managing Partner of Verdant Creations. Corey and his Wife, Kelly Hondros, founded Motive CBD in 2018, and they were outsourcing their hemp until it became legal to grow for medical marijuana in Ohio in 2019. After that, they began growing their …

Ed Porter is the founder of Blue Chip CRO, where he works as a fractional CRO for businesses from $0-$20 million in revenue entering growth mode or restructuring their businesses.  

Deirdre DeWeese is the Vice President of Philanthropy for the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland – if you’re followers of the show, you might remember we had Tammy Wharton on the show previously from the Girl Scouts as well. Deirdre has worked in fundraising and development across a variety of organizations throughout her career, and …

Dr. Zeenia Kaul, CEO and CSO at ReHeva Biosciences. ReHeva Biosciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical startup founded in 2016, is discovering and developing naturally occurring, complex botanical agents to treat and manage cancer. Their goal is to help people live longer and healthier with cancer, ultimately transforming cancer treatment into disease management. They recently started their …

Matt Wyckhouse is the Founder and CEO of Finite State. Finite State automates product security for connected devices and embedded systems, enabling developers and security teams to ship their products with confidence.

Ernest Levert Jr is the founder of the Royal Oak Initiative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that focuses on developing community through the game of chess. What started as a bi-weekly meetup has grown into a community of chess enthusiasts as well as a chess-based mentoring program, and the Royal Oak Chess Initiative recently signed a …

Jacob Block is the CEO and Founder of American Nitrile, a disposable glove manufacturer headquartered here in Columbus. Jacob founded American Nitrile in 2021 in an effort to combat the PPE shortage that hit the U.S. and the world due to the COVID pandemic. With the motto “Bring Manufacturing Back Home,” Jacob and the American …

Matt Scantland is the Founder and CEO of AndHealth, a digital health company with the mission of helping people reverse chronic disease, which he started after his own battle with chronic disease. AndHealth is the world’s first virtual Center of Excellence for migraine reversal, and is soon launching a virtual Center of Excellence for autoimmune …

Jay Harkrider is the Managing Director of Foxen, a software company that started out by focusing on helping property managers better track and manage renter’s insurance across their tenants. However, over just a few years, Foxen has evolved into a FinTech company providing innovative financial solutions for residential and commercial real estate companies. On top …

Tom Dailey provides independent expert strategic and practical advice to merchants, payment processors, investors, law firms, and other organizations. He is a recognized, trusted expert in the card and payments space. As a senior executive at Discover, he managed the multi-billion dollar merchant business unit, including a team of over 2,000 across 28 facilities. More …